PixlBit

Continuing the tradition of underrated gems (Or simply flops I happened to like!) Here are a few more games on that questionably esteemed list!

Binary Domain

A lot of people will write off Binary Domain as a “Gears Of War clone” but that’s not entirely fair. Most of the guns actually “feel different” and the eclectic cast of characters is not anything close to what you’d find in The typical GOW universe.

This time around you are in the “rust crew”, an international group of mercenaries that hunt down robots that have fallen into the hands of terrorists to be used as weapons or sentient android “hollow children” who look all too human. There’s a lot of espionage and politics involved and the game poses the question where does humanity end and where does the machine begin.

Frankly, this game did not remind me much of Gears at all. Sure, you take cover and have big guns. The camera is very “gearsy” too. But beyond that there’s a sort of relationship meta-game where you literally have to improve your friendship rating with everyone to get the best performance out of them. How fond your team-mates are of you can actually change key points in the story-line too. Additionally, you issue commands to your crew (While complimenting or reprimanding them) and the AI tends to be rather top notch all around.

While you could argue some games I'm fond of are indeed complete crap, I don’t think that’s a fair criticism for Binary Domain. This is a really good game and it does enough differently to set itself apart from other 3rd person shooters.

Brutal Legend

I’m not really a fan of open-world sand-box games. Sure, I liked Arkham City but I never liked most of Rock star’s stuff. San Andreas and Bully were the only Rockstar games I got some enjoyment out of yet GTA4 and GTA5 simply look boring as fuck to me.

Brutal Legend made me realize what sand-box games could be like if developers threw in some actual “imagination”. Eddie Riggs gets transported to a land of Heavey-Metal-fantasy . You recognize the music genre clichés yet Brutal Legend does still manage to tell a touching heartfelt story with memorable characters all the while giving a tongue and cheek homage to many of my favorite Metal bands.

Though most of the game plays like GTA as you maneuver your roadster druid-plough through the games many twisted yet beautiful landscapes, “boss battles” are epic Rts fare as you construct a stage to spawn a plethora of unit types. You can effortlessly control each ally on the field and even drive around (or fly around) the battlefield yourself!

When encountering enemies on the open road Eddie can dispatch them with his element charged battle axe, riffs from his electric guitar, or even weapons mounted on his roadster. You’ll encounter and battle all sorts of strange types that include emo ghost brides, hell-billies driving coffin carrying hearses, hooded cultists, saber-tooth tigers, and spiders made out of cold steel.

The only terrible thing about Brutal Legend is that there was no sequel. (A shame considering the game is steeped in its' own deep and fascinating mythology) EA did not move as many copies as it would have liked and that is enough to kill off most potential franchises these days.

Alan Wake

I don’t know why Alan Wake did not do better. Part of the reason might stem from the fact Remedy originally promised AW would have an open-world. Early footage showed off a small plane giving us the allusion the troubled writer Alan would be able to go anywhere at any time.

Maybe people were disappointed when the actual game turned out to be linear but honestly I did not care. At the time I was pretty impressed by the game’s story and mechanics. The fact there was a metaphorical darkness possessing people in a small town that could be fought with Alan’s flashlight added something a bit new to the survival horror genre. Suddenly “light flares” were like throwing hand grenades. Furthermore, this “evil pressence” could also manipulate inanimate objects such as idle farming equipment. There was a sense of tension because you never knew where the next attack would come from.

Alan Wake’s biggest crime was it was not really “scary”. There were parts I felt anxious but I never truly felt pure dread. The game never made me jump in my chair either.

Criticisms aside, the game had great spoken narrative and a decent yarn to spin. If you got something out of the early Silent Hill games and Deadly premonition then Alan Wake will certainly delight you in the same morose way! It’s for those of us who can appreciate both the paranormal and the psychological. (And the soundtrack for the game is phenomenal! Poets Of The Fall do good work!)

Splatterhouse

Splatter-house is a okay game but out of the ones listed here it was probably the least remarkable for me personally. Having said that, it pleasantly surprised me overall. The presentation was better than I thought it would be and there are many neat referencial tributes to the original games. (You can even unlock Splatterhouse 1-3 eventually)

Splatterhouse for all intents and purposes is a beat em up with lotsa gore. As Rick you must save your girlfriend Jennifer from the diabolical Doctor West. (He makes monsters, rises the undead, and summons demons by the way) To prepare yourself you make an unholy pact with a cursed mask that transforms you into a brutish hulk who is good at smashing things or ripping them in half! Though mostly in 3D, there are a few 2D segments where Rick has to carefully navigate some pretty nasty trap filled linear corridors while also dealing with the usual nasty customers. 

Whereas the fighting in Splatterhouse is a guilty pleasure, the plat forming has gaping cracks in its‘ design. It’s a bit too easy to miscalculate a jump and it is a pain in the ass when your view is suddenly obstructed when you need to execute your next move with painstaking precision. (There are some gamers who I imagine will not have the patience for this bullshit.) Even worse, certain segments time you. When you finally win against the clock there are only a few seconds to spare. I died countless times because I did not kill everything or make it to the next check-point fast enough. 

Splatterhouse is alright but it needed more time in development. Still, I like the crude humor, like Jim Cummings’ voice as the terror mask, and even got some satisfaction out of finding Jennifer’s “naughty pictures” strewn about the game’s many twisted levels. I’m glad the designers of this remake knew that Splatterhouse and political correctness just do not mix! The soundtrack fit’s the game like a glove as well!

Divinity II:Dragonknight saga

When I say “Dragon’s Dogma” most people get me but when I say “Divinity II Dragon-knight saga” several puzzled expressions stare back at me across the void that is the world-wide web! Divinity II: Dragon-Knight saga is the re-mastered “Ego Draconus” brought to us by those wonderful folks at Atlus publishing. However, Larian studios was responsible for actually creating this obscure delight!

Dragon-knight saga is a pretty damn awesome open-world action rpg. Side quests are interesting and as decreed by fate, you can eventually turn into a flying dragon and participate in epic sky battles right before infiltrating sky citadels filled with all manner of nasty badness.

The npcs and story-line are surprisingly good. There are several twists that are truly difficult to see coming. Eventually you even have your own command center populated by mercenaries who can bring you materials for your forge, a freakish golem you construct out of monster parts who helps you in battle, and a totally sexy scantily clad concubine who serves as your chancellor and on hand stewardess. There is even a crafty illusionist who allows you to change your gender and appearance at any time in the story. (You can even rearrange skill points and change up your abilities if you really want to.)

Honestly I’d recommend this to any friend who loves rpgs. The only small qualm I can pick at with this one is that some of those aforementioned “dragon sky-battles” get really difficult, especially the one waged against the game’s final villain in the dlc expansion packaged with the main game.